Luciano: No water, no solution for Peoria Heights frozen pipes

PEORIA HEIGHTS — For seven weeks of frozen pipes, Scott Groenke hasn’t been able to take a shower, flush a toilet or otherwise use water at home.

A handful of others in Peoria Heights have faced the same trouble. Some of those frosty lines have been thawed out via a village-suggested method of zapping electrical current though the lines (which we’ll explain in a moment).

But no one has been waterless nearly as long as Groenke. Neither he nor village officials can figure out the cause of the extra-long freeze.

Since 1998, Groenke has lived at his modest bungalow at 706 E. Glen Ave. From there, the bachelor operates Scott’s Lawn Care, which does snow removal. So, the harsh winter has been good for his pocketbook, until the pipes froze.

Since Jan. 15, he has had to rely on creativity for water inside his 74-year-old house. He borrows water in plastic milk jugs he fills at friends’ homes. A few have let him do laundry, but sometimes he has to use a laundromat.

“That takes money,” he says.

Groenke belongs to a gym, which is where he has done most of his showering. As for using the toilet at home, he has to pour water from jugs to flush.

“It’s crazy,” he says.

It’s also mysterious.

Peoria Heights runs its own waterworks system. Kyle Smith, the superintendent of public works, says several residences have been plagued by frozen pipes.

A homeowner is responsible for the line that feeds into the home from the curb stop; that’s the underground valve near the street, often under a cast-iron, circular cover.

Groenke has heard the timeworn advice to keep a trickle of water running from faucets to prevent lines from freezing. But with an active social schedule, he spends many overnights with friends.

“I’m never here,” he says.

Meantime, the village maintains water lines leading to all curb stops. But when water stops flowing, how can anyone discern whose pipes have frozen and faltered — a resident’s or the village’s?

“It’s nearly impossible to tell without digging up the lines,” he says. “That would involve tearing up the streets and sidewalks.”

Several Heights homeowners have faced this challenge, some of whom went without water in their residences for a week or so, Smith says. In those cases, the village advised them to borrow water from neighbors.

Besides waiting for spring, what can you do in such a situation? Nature can help, Smith says. Last weekend, one resident shoveled the snow off her front lawn, above the line to the curb stop. Under last weekend’s sun, her pipes unfroze, Smith says.

Or, you can call a welder. Smith says welders can zing current from the curb stop to the shut-off valve inside a home. The current melts ice and gets water moving again.

However, the village doesn’t have that kind of equipment or expertise. So, a homeowner would have to bring in a welder. Such efforts can run $200 to $400, with a resident paying the bill.

In Peoria, homeowner-hired plumbers tend to use steam to unfreeze pipes, says Illinois American Water spokeswoman Karen Cotton said. Some residents, though, hired welders for the electrical-current approach.

But it’s not foolproof. A welder already tried that technique at Groenke’s dwelling. No luck: no water.

Groenke also called a plumber, who worked a snake from Groenke’s basement shut-off valve, all the way through the line — about 60 feet — to his curb stop. The conclusion, according to Groenke: his pipes are clear. The problem is in the village’s line.

Later this week, another plumber and another welder might investigate Groenke’s water woes. Who pays the bills? That’s as uncertain as the site and source of the frozen-pipe problem.

“We’re trying to work with homeowners,” Smith says.

Groenke hopes things can work faster.

“I’m really concerned about it,” he says.

PHIL LUCIANO is a Journal Star columnist. He can be reached at pluciano@pjstar.com, facebook.com/philluciano, 686-3155 or (800) 225- 5757, Ext. 3155. Follow him on Twitter @LucianoPhil.